The Golden Leaf Route
by aleido84
Summary: Byleth, having lost everything in his life, makes a gamble, one last chance to fix everything. Sacrificing his best friend, he goes back in time, not knowing where he will arrive. He didn't expect to find the very same friend he lost again only a little different this time.


He was tired, blood was everywhere on his clothes, he couldn't tell apart which was his. They were at the holy tomb, fighting the ambush of the Empire. His students had been fighting for half an hour now, he had reverted time a lot of times saving them. Sometimes they were pierced by a lance, others they were stomped by a beast or they died due to the great number of wounds they had. It was a bloody battle but they were approaching their objective. He heard a cry from one of his students, an arrow pierced their heart. His eyes opened in shock, he tried to turn back time.

_**But nothing happened**_

He tried again

And again.

And again

**AND AGAIN**

He was out of charges...

A sword cut the head of another student… This, this was a nightmare. One by one his students were killed, all of them calling his name as their last breath. After seeing the last one smiling at him before being cut in half by an axe, he let rage and sorrow consume him, he let the Ashen Demon out.

He did not remember what happened next, he only saw red, he only heard whines of animals being cut and when he came back to reality, he was bathed in blood, the sword of the creator was now red. In front of him was the flame emperor shivering in fear, like she saw a real demon coming for her soul, he changed forms of his sword to its whip-like form and throw it against the emperor, going for the heart, his eyes were cold, wanting vengeance.

Only to see Hubert appear and teleport her to safety. Frustrating his vengeance.

As soon as they disappeared, he collapsed on his knees, out of breath, he let out a heartbreaking scream. Tears coming from his face at a speed never seen before. He had lost everything now.

He had lost all the people he cared for in the world.

He punched the ground five times, asking why him? what sin he had committed to lost everything that was dear to him in three months. Why he deserved such fate. What was the joke of his happiness being snatch away? First his father, then Sothis and now his students.

In the bottom of his soul, he could hear a whimper

"_I'm sorry Byleth, I'm really sorry, It all my fault, please forgive me" _a voice pleaded him, It was Sothis? she was back? she sounded so broken, it broke his heart even more.

"If only I had more power, If only I was stronger maybe the little ones will be here with us. It's all my fault, please forgive me Byleth" she was crying, he could not see her but he could hear how her voice was breaking

"It's my fault Sothis, I couldn't protect them even with your powers with me…" he said cleaning the tears of his eyes, still whimpering

"It's both faults then" she tried to clean her nose.

"We always share everything, right?" he asked, at least his best friend was still with him

"Because our souls are one…" she muttered

Both of them took a glimpse of the field where his students laid dead, the odds were 6 to 1, and even so they fought like it was a 1 on 1 battle. He was proud of them, that even with the odds against them they never gave up, he and Sothis felt silent, still whimpering at their lost for who knows how much.

"I can make you go back" she said interrupting the silence with a whisper

"What?" can he really fix this? can he really save them?

"But It will be only you, I will have to sacrifice my soul to do this, you… will be alone… no more chances." she said in a serious tone, so It will the last resort to save them, a final gamble for them.

"So I will lose you too?" his voice was breaking again

"I know you will be fine, you are no longer a child Byleth" he could feel her smiling "Just know that I don't know where you will end, It could a day, a month or even years in the past..."

"So it's really a gamble, huh?" he said while looking at the floor

"Yes, a last gamble to save them"

"For our little ones?" he asked

"For our little ones" she said cleaning her tears

"I'm ready Sothis" he said determined without giving a thought, they were all that was left on his life, he will fight a god himself if that means has them back. Wherever he will end, he will avoid this tragedy, never again he will let anyone important to him die again.

"I will prepare the spell" she said while energy around the tomb started to gather around him, he could feel the magic entering his body, It was a warm but also sad feeling, regrets and hopes to fill his soul.

"Sothis?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for this and for everything really"

"Don't worry about it, of course, I will help my best friend." she said almost finishing the spell

"Before I go I want you to know something little gremlin" he said in a mocking tone

"What is it fish maniac?" she retorted

"I will make you come back to us, I promise" he said almost as a whisper, he lost her one time, never again.

"I…" was he for real? this idiot, It was impossible, her soul will be lost after this

"I hope you have the biggest cake of the world when I come back!" but she couldn't shatter his hope, he had lost a lot already and she cared for him a lot to do it ...

"See you soon"_ 'I will see you again I promise'_ he thought to himself

"Goodbye Byleth" _Forever..._ and with that, a white light invaded his vision taking him to an unknown destination.

* * *

"Mooom, there is a stranger sleeping in our picnic tree" Byleth heard a little girl voice in the distance, he slowly opened his eyes trying to adjust to the new light source, did it work?

"What do we do mommy?" asked the little girl

"I don't know maybe shake him a little" said the woman to his daughter?

"Look, he is waking up" said the girl excited, he soon saw two figures, one was a little girl with light green hair and eyes beaming a smile at him, while the other…

"There are better places to take a nap, you know?" was a woman with a sassy smile, messy dark hair and green eyes offering her hand smiling, she was tall almost like Rhea, he could swear It was the archbishop but her face… there was no way he could forget her face…

"Sothis?" he said surprised.

How far did she send him back?


End file.
